The Sword in the Hat
by Most Slytherin of Gryffindors
Summary: AU. When Harry pulls Gryffindor’s sword out of the hat at the end of his second year, it causes a chain reaction that affects the wizarding world. Will contain slash.


**PLEASE READ DISCLAIMER AND WARNING. WILL NOT BE REPEATED AGAIN.**

**Disclaimer: **Just playing in somebody else's sandbox. Now where's my bucket?

**Warning: **I like slash pairings. No Harry pairing for a very long time. Spoilers-if you haven't read the books, why are you reading this?

**AN: **CatWriter gave me a great idea to incorporate the chapters I have because they are all so short. I will try to write longer chapters but I am a very slow writer. So updates will take longer. It also doesn't help that I'm creating it as I go.

**Plot: **AU. When Harry pulls Gryffindor's sword out of the hat at the end of his second year, it causes a chain reaction that affects the wizarding world. Will contain slash

**Chapter One**

**The Boy Who Shall Be King**

_Amidst death, he shall be reborn_

_Hidden till it's called_

_He shall call for the sword_

_Against evil and for the light_

_He shall fight_

_He shall Unite the World_

_Leading Light and Dark Together_

_A boy who shall be King._

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

An old wizened man sits upon a majestic castle, waiting. Waiting patiently as centuries past. History is created and still he waits.

Until one day, unearthly music reached his ears. It wasn't close by but it perked his interest. This was what he was waiting for.

"Thank you, Fawkes."

The wizard follows the notes, not knowing where it would lead him and what he will find when he get there.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

Harry Potter smiles widely as he spies Hermione running towards him. Reaching him, she throws her arms around him.

"You solved it! You solved it!"

Behind her, Justin gives him a tentative smile.

"I'm sorry."

Hermione, hearing Justin's voice, lets loose of Harry and turns to face Justin.

"I should think so," Hermione sounding eerily like Professor McGonagall.

Harry cuts off Hermione before she goes on a full rant.

"That's all right. I would probably think the same if I were in your shoes."

"Harry! You would never have thought that," Hermione says scandously.

Harry gives her a look and she subsides but not before giving Justin a mulish look. Justin gives Hermione a shell-shocked stare before turning back to Harry and giving him a grateful smile. He takes his hand out and Harry shakes it.

"You're one of a kind, Harry."

Justin walks back to the Hufflepuff table where he is engulfed in a sea of his housemates. Hermione turns back to Harry with her patented lecture look.

"Harry, you can't just forgive people like that. It's wrong and people will take advantage of that."

Harry looks at Hermione with a thoughtful expression.

"If I can't forgive someone for a mistake, then what happens when I make a mistake of my own? Will you not forgive me?"

Hermione puts her hand on her hips.

"Of course I will but you're my best friend."

"Just because we're friends does not mean forgiveness is easier to come by."

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know you don't but everyone needs a second chance. Sometimes more than that."

"Why?"

"Hermione, people are not bad but they will do bad things occasionally. It's human nature. You also need to forgive or it will eat you up inside."

Hermione looks at Harry with awe.

"Harry, I think you've really grown up and I'll repeat it again," Hermione touches Harry's shoulder and looks at him straight in the eye," Harry, you're a great wizard."

Harry looks at the ground and blushes. Ron, who had stayed quiet during that exchange, now pipes up.

"Bloody wicked, Harry. You actually argued Hermione down. You're my hero."

The trio looks at one another and burst out laughing. Harry throws his arms around both Ron and Hermione.

"Let's celebrate."

"I'm starving." Ron says as they all sit down at the table and Ron grabs some treacle tart. "Hey Hermione, Lockhart tried to obliviate us."

"It turns out he never did all that heroic stuff."

Ron and Harry gave Hermione all the news she missed while petrified as they celebrated her return.

At half past three, Hagrid arrived amidst cheers from the Gryffindors. Blushing, Hagrid cuffs Harry and Ron on the shoulders so hard that they were knocked into their plates of trifles.

"Exams have been cancelled as a school treat," told by Professor McGonagall.

Cheers erupted all over the hall as Harry heard Hermione said, "Oh, no!"

Once the cheers died down, Dumbledore stood up to announce that Harry and Ron received four hundred points, thereby securing the House Cup for Gryffindors the second year running. This time, the cheers did not come from Slytherins. Harry noticed that Draco looked resentful and sulky.

"Unfortunately, Professor Lockhart is no longer with us. There was an accident where he lost his memories."

Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news. Harry even noticed what he thought was a smile of Snape's face. He decided it must have been a smirk.

"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He was starting to grow on me."

At that moment, Fawkes appeared in the entrance of the Great Hall with an old man who looked very similarly like the Headmaster, even down to his spectacles.

Everyone in the Great Hall stared at the imposing man. There was strength and power emanating strongly from him that even the first years can detect.

"May I ask who you are?" Dumbledore asks from the Head table where all the teachers had stood up gripping their wands.

The man smiles.

"I am Merlin."

Voices erupted at this statement. The students didn't know whether to believe this or not. They might live in the magical world but even this was surprising.

"May we have proof that you are who you are?"

All the students look to the Head table where they can see that all the adults have stood up and are pointing their wands at this person who is calling himself Merlin. Dumbledore was the one who asked the question.

The man who called himself Merlin raised both arms and with a twinkle in his eyes, he shouted, "Merlin has come home to Hogwarts!"

Harry, who was the only student who brandished his wand at the sight of a stranger, felt a disturbance in the Great Hall. He and Albus (the only other person who felt the disturbance) looked up at the ceiling.

Swirls of clouds began gathering at the ceiling. A lightning bolt shoots out and hit right in front of Merlin. Everyone averts their eyes and once the flash is gone, they all notice the ceiling of the Great Hall.

Everyone gasped. Above them, they could see four sprits manifesting. There were two males and two females. One of the males had what looked liked the sorting hat on his head.

"Godric Gryffindor welcomes Merlin to Hogwarts!" shouted the male spirit who had the sorting hat on his head.

Whispers broke out. If that was Godric Gryffindor that means that the other spirits were…

"Rowena Ravenclaw welcomes Merlin to Hogwarts," said one of the female spirit with a smile.

"Helga Hufflepuff welcomes Merlin to Hogwarts," said the other female spirit.

"Salazar Slytherin welcomes Merlin to Hogwarts," said the final spirit with a bow.

Everyone looks shocked at the spirits. Nobody ever has seen the Hogwarts founders before and now here they appeared. Everyone in the hall looks toward who they all now believe is Merlin.

Everyone in the hall knew who Merlin was. Tales of Merlin have reached everybody, wizarding or not. Even the muggle world was populated by the stories of Merlin.

The best story of Merlin involves the tale of Excalibur. The muggle-borns and Harry knew the story of Excalibur and King Arthur. How Arthur, as a young boy, pulled Excalibur out of a stone.

The pure-bloods and the half-bloods that grew up in the wizarding world can only think of the tales that they learnt at their parents knees. Merlin was someone who was bigger than any hero.

Only the wizarding world knew that Merlin wasn't destroyed. He was waiting for the next king to pull the sword and rule the wizarding world. The only person believed to wield the sword was Arthur Pendragon. After his death, it disappeared. Many have tried to discover the sword but no one has laid eyes on it. It became the Holy Grail in the wizarding world.

Many witches and wizards have pursued this item because it would have given them control of the wizarding world. Only someone who was fated can pull the sword out, though. The wizarding world has always been waiting for him or her, knowing only that Merlin will show when the time comes.

It has been said that the sword knows its true owner. Only when the sword is called, will the wizarding world see it again. Arthur Pendragon was more than a myth, a fairytale, or fable. It was the history of magic, long before it began. The story was so big and long before time, that the Muggles even now taught this story to every child in school.

The story was currently passing around the Great Hall, told to each muggle-raised, as excitement grew. Whispers abound on who it could be.

As Harry finally heard what was being talked about, he jumped out of his seat.

"NO!"

Hermione and Ron had both shot up at the same time, worried for their friend, froze momentarily.

"No, no, no, no, NO!"

As Harry continued to back up, Hermione and Ron both look around, trying to find the cause of this distress. Harry's shout has now quieted the Hall as everyone starts noticing this strange behavior.

While everyone's eyes are now on Harry, no one notices that Merlin has caught eyes on Harry. Raising his eyes at Fawkes, the phoenix bows his head at him and disappears from his shoulder. But no one noticed because Harry was still backing away from Merlin.

Fawkes suddenly appears above Harry's head with the sorting hat clutched in his beak. Harry seeing that everyone's eyes are now looking up followed their gaze.

"NO!" Harry shouted, either at the hat or Fawkes, no one can really tell.

Above Harry's head, the sorting hat dropped a sword on him. In reflex, Harry grabbed the hilt before the sword can land on his head.

The sorting hat opens his mouth to speak.

"All bow to King Harry James Potter! The rightful king to the magical throne!"

Harry drops his head down. Shaking his head in disbelief. Now, there's no way for him to deny it. His raises his head up to look at the sea of faces now staring at him in shock.

Ron actually got over his shock first and knelt on one knee in front of Harry. Hermione, who was just a little befuddled, stared down at Ron bemusedly.

"Hermione, kneel," hissed Ron.

Hermione cautiosly kneeled next to Ron. She looked at him noticing that he had bowed his head to Harry. She did the same but immediately brought it back up as she realized why Ron told her to kneel. Whispers flew at those who saw what Ron and Hermione was doing. Neville, the twins, and Justin all knelt in front of Harry, not really understanding but only knowing that they will follow Harry anywhere.

"NO!" a sound came from the opposite side of the hall.

Everyone looked to where the shout came from to see Draco standing on the Slytherin's bench.


End file.
